New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore was arrested Thursday evening in Cleveland on suspicion of possessing a stolen gun, Cleveland police confirmed to NFL.com, and was subsequently charged with a fourth-degree felony of receiving a stolen firearm on Friday, according to court records.
Per Ohio law, receiving a stolen firearm is a fourth-degree felony.
Lattimore, having waived his preliminary hearing, had his case bound over to the grand jury of the Cuyahoga County Court Common Pleas Court. Lattimore's bond was set at $5,000 during Friday's hearing.
At approximately 10:30 p.m. local time, police conducted a traffic stop of a car for "multiple traffic violations," according to Cleveland PD. During the stop, police observed a loaded Glock 19 handgun in the vehicle, and Lattimore, a passenger, was also found to have a loaded handgun in his possession. The handgun was later found to be stolen out of Euclid, Ohio.
Two other passengers were arrested for having weapons while under disability, while the driver was arrested for improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle and issued a citation for driving without working taillights.
Lattimore's attorney issued a statement prior to Lattimore being charged.
"Mr. Lattimore, a proud Cleveland native with no prior criminal record or history, is fully cooperating with law enforcement's investigation of this matter," said Marcus Sidoti of Friedman, Gilbert of Gerhardstein, who represents Lattimore, in a statement to NFL Media. "He was a passenger in a vehicle that was stopped by police and was arrested without incident and was not formally charged. We believe that this was a misunderstanding and that this will become even clearer as new information becomes available and is shared with the authorities."
Selected in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, Lattimore, 24, has starred as New Orleans' starting cornerback for the last four seasons, starting 57 of his games played. He was named AP Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2017 and has made the Pro Bowl three times, most recently this past season. Lattimore is entering the final year of his rookie deal and is set to earn $10.244 million in 2021.
